For obvious reasons, we’ve paused our event listings in recent months. But as carefully coordinated events, designed to meet the social distancing guidelines, have started to reemerge, we are slowly working to incorporate this feature back into our publication (albeit a much more abbreviated version than usual). To submit a Lexington-area event for consideration, email info@tadoo.com with the subject line “EVENT SUBMISSION.”
LexPhil in Your Neighborhood Series. October; exact dates TBA. While details were still being finalized for this series as we sent this issue to print, Lexington Philharmonic has released preliminary details for two series: an outdoor series where LexPhil musicians will perform 10-15 min concerts at different locations around four Lexington neighborhoods, and two limited capacity concerts to take place at the historic Loudoun House. The events are set to take place throughout the month of October; visit www.lexphil.org for dates and more info.
Rakadu Dance Theatre will be one of the performers at the "Woodland Art Faux" presented by Mecca Dance Studio on Oct. 3. Photo by Sarah Jane Sanders
Mecca Dance Studio presents “The Woodland Art Faux.” Oct. 3. This live, multi-cultural drum and dance performance, featuring African hand drumming and dances from the Middle East, India and Spain, will showcase dancers from Rakadu Dance Theatre, Shisha Dance Collective, Tripp Bratton’s drummers and Shree School. The outdoor event, a nod to Rakadu’s annual performance at Woodland Art Fair (cancelled this year due to COVID-19), requires that the audience wear masks upon arrival and when moving around the space. Gates open at 6 p.m. with showtime slated for 7:30 p.m. MoonDance Amphitheatre, 1152 Monarch St. Tickets are available at www.meccadance.com.
Shaker Village: Music on the Lawn. Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 31. The historic grounds of Shaker Village offer a weekly opportunity to enjoy outdoor music, dining and drinks around the fire pit (weather dependent). October performers include David Bates (Oct. 2), Warren Byrom (Oct. 3), Matt Green (Oct. 9), Carrie Johnson (Oct. 10), Scott Collins (Oct. 16), Chris Weiss (Oct. 17), Randy Kaplan (Oct. 23), Matt Green (Oct. 24), Scott Collins (Oct. 30) and Chris Sullivan (Oct. 31). No admission is required, and music begins at 6:30 pm. Shaker Village, 3501 Lexington Road. www.shakervillageky.org
The Burl Parking Lot Shows
Amidst the pandemic, The Burl has taken to presenting live music in a new format: a safe, socially distanced series of outdoor shows in the venue’s parking lot.
For these shows, no individual tickets are available; rather, tickets are sold by the table (primarily in groupings of six). Tables are spaced out safely in the parking lot, and patrons are asked to stick with their groups and remain six feet away from guests who are not in their group.
The Burl is located at 375 Thompson Road. More info and a full list of upcoming events is available at www.theburlky/events.
Katie Toupin. Oct. 2. The former member of Louisville band Houndmouth has been making a name for herself as a solo artist in recent years, currently fresh off the release of her 2019 debut solo LP “Magnetic Moves.” Toupin will be joined by the Nashville-based psychedelic blues band The Minks, led by fiery vocalist Nikki Barber. 7 p.m.
Lost Dog Street Band. Oct. 3-4. The popular Americana trio led by the husband-and-wife combo of Benjamin Tod and Ashley Mae return to The Burl for a two-night run of shows featuring the group’s repertoire of music bursting at the seams with melancholy. 7 p.m. (both nights).
Dee Oh Gee and Brother Smith. Oct. 9. Calling Lexington their “home away from home,” Nashville rock trio Dee Oh Gee (formerly the Blackfoot Gypsies) return to The Burl. They’ll be joined by Northern Kentucky’s genre-bending blues brothers, Brother Smith, led by brothers Wes and Aaron Smith. 7 p.m.
The Binders and The Worn Jets. Oct. 10. This local supergroup featuring vocalists Alicia Cox and Robbie Morgan, drummer Danielle Barkman, guitarist Scott Whiddon and others, will pay homage to favorite female rockers such as The Pretenders, Heart, Joan Jett, Pat Benatar and Sleater-Kinney. Support from new Lexington rock group The Worn Jets. 7 p.m.
Justin Wells (album release) and Abby Hamilton. Oct. 16. The former Fifth on the Floor frontman will celebrate the release of his latest solo effort, “The United State,” which came out in August and which he describes as a “life album.” Sharing the bill will be Abby Hamilton, who, in addition to contributing vocal tracks to Wells’ new album, also recently finished up an EP of her own, “Afraid Of The Dark.” 7 p.m.
Ward Davis and Charles Wesley Godwin. Oct. 17. The alt-country rebel and Arkansas native with songs recorded by the likes of Trace Adkins, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard will perform a stripped-down, solo acoustic show from the Burl’s parking lot. Featuring support from West Virginia’s Charles Wesley Godwin. 7 p.m.
John R. Miller and Sierra Ferrell. Oct. 18. The fellow West Virginia artists and longtime collaborators John R. Miller and Sierra Ferrell join forces for a co-headlining performance. Miller has a knack for bringing rough and ragged realism and emotion to his music while Ferrell’s warble acts as a guiding light during her tales of Appalachian gypsy folk. 7 p.m.
Kelsey Waldon and Abby Hamilton. Oct. 23. Western Kentucky native Kelsey Waldon has captivated audiences in recent years with her country soul confessionals, earning coveted gigs at Bonnaroo and The Grand Ole Opry in 2019, in addition to performances at the inaugural Railbird Festival and Kickin’ It On The Creek. Support from Abby Hamilton. 7 p.m.
Fresh out of the woods, internet sensation SaxSquatch will make an appearance Oct. 25 at The Burl. Photo furnished
SaxSquatch. Oct. 25. Viral internet icon and musical phenomenon SaxSquatch is bringing his “Saxual Healing” tour from the woods to the Burl. Known for merging jazz with electronic fusion, the artist has previously appeared on episodes of Comedy Central’s “Tosh.O” along with the front pages of Reddit, Buzzfeed and Yahoo. 7 p.m.
The Wooks’ “Wook-O-Ween.” Oct. 31. One of Lexington’s most cherished hometown bands, The Wooks will reconvene for a continuation of its annual Halloween-themed “Wook-O-Ween” bash, in its first public concert since the onset of the pandemic shows. The band features a revamped lineup of CJ Cain (guitar), Harry Clark (mandolin), George Guthrie (banjo), Johnny Calamari (bass) and Allen Cooke (dobro). 7 p.m.